Reading The Scourge of the Seven Seas
by Kitty Qin
Summary: Hera decides the members of the prophecy and the leaders of Camp Jupiter, Camp Half-Blood, the Amazons, and the Hunters of Artemis need to learn more about each other. Inspired by HecateA's The Scourge of the Seven Seas. Written with her permission.
1. Prologue

**Reading ****The Scourge of the Seven Seas**

**Summary:** Hera decides the members of the prophecy and the leaders of Camp Jupiter, Camp Half-Blood, the Amazons, and the Hunters of Artemis need to learn more about each other.

**Disclaimer: **Everything in bold belongs to HecateA's story "The Scourge of the Seven Seas." All characters belong to Rick Riordan.

* * *

**Prologue**

* * *

"We need to confirm the seven members of the Prophecy of Seven, or as the Greeks know it, the Second Great Prophecy." Reyna said, starting the private meeting in her house. "Jason and Percy are definitely going and Jason claims Piper McLean and Leo Valdez are also members, while Percy says the same for Hazel Levesque and Frank Zhang; so we have six members. We need to find the seventh.

"Do you want to go?" Annabeth cautiously asks, her gray eyes calculating.

"No," Reyna replies, shaking her head. "I need to stay and protect my city. Rome's leaders can't abandon her again." Jason flinches.

"Okay, then." Annabeth says, relieved. "I'll be the seve-"

"No!" Hylla shouts rising.

Annabeth looks taken back, before glaring. "Why? Do you want Reyna to go?"

"Annabeth," Percy whispers, warning.

"I don't care who goes, as long as it's not you!" Hylla spat out.

Thalia comes in defense of her best friend. "What do you have against Annabeth?" she demands, looking ready to bring out her bow and arrows.

"What do I have? What do I have? Maybe the fact that she destroyed my home!" Hylla responds, equally willing to take out her own weapons.

"I thought you forgave us for that." Percy asks, confused.

"Percy," Reyna says, slightly losing her composure. "We forgave you, since you reunited my sister and me, and since you saved New Rome. But not your girlfriend. And to be honest, you weren't really the one to destroy the island. Annabeth was the one who released the pirates."

Annabeth gasps. "Pirates? You two were on Circe's island!"

"Remember now? Funny, I thought it was your boyfriend with the memory problems." Hylla snidely says. "Do you have any idea what those pirates did to us?" she shuddered.

Jason looked like a part of his memory came back, as his gaze darkened. "Wait, you're the one that-"

"Stop! What are you all talking about? Pirates? Circe?" Piper finally explodes, as Leo, Hazel, and Frank nodded, curious. Though Thalia looked like she might know, remembering the story of how Percy, Annabeth, and Grover got the Golden Fleece.

"Tell me!" Piper ordered.

At this, Hylla does take out her weapons, angrily saying "How dare you try to charmspeak us!"

Piper was backing up in shock and slight terror as the power that was her ticket to the meeting didn't work, when a book with a note fell down on to the table.

Reyna ignored everyone as she picked up and read the note aloud.

_Dear demigods,_

_While watching your argument, I decided that it would be _

_beneficial to the alliance of the camps, if the leaders of your_

_groups and the confirmed members of the prophecy were to_

_learn more about each other. So I have sent a book called_

_"The Scourge of the Seven Seas" in Reyna and Hylla's point of view so_

_you learned what she endured before camp._

_-Hera, the Queen of the Gods_

"No," Reyna whispered aghast. Jason reached over, as if to comfort her, when Piper loudly said, "Well I guess we should read this book then. Who wants to start?"

"Since it's about me, I will go first." Reyna said, recovering quickly, though her voice was still shaky.

**Chapter 1: The Island **she began.


	2. The Island

**A/N: **I am so, so sorry for not updating this for like 3 months. But I have some not very good reasons. I even made a list.

Summer: School, Homework, and Vaction.

Summer Weekends: I was lazy.

September: School and Homework.

September Weekends: I was lazy.

See what awsome reasons they are. Now, I know people usually follow this with a promise to update soon, but I think normal is boring so instead I'm going to say, I'm probably not going to update soon. ...(stares)... What? I'm young. That excuses everything.

Speaking of age, I turned twelve last week. Yay. I invited like fifteen people to go bowling for my birthday and told all of them to get me three books. Each. I love books. And you're probably thinking, what on earth does this have to do with your story? And the answer to that is, absolutely nothing. (cackles madly)

Yes, I am sane.

* * *

_**So, since Kitty Qin is suffering from a great disease called, "Extreme Laziness," it's me, IamBellatrixLiutenantofVoldy , who is writing this chapter. Got it? Good.**_

Leo took a seat. He shrugged when everyone stared at him. "This is probably going to take a while and I'd rather not kill my legs before we even go on the quest."

Percy shrugged and pulled up a chair beside him. "Why not?"

Everyone else followed suit, although Hylla made it a point to sit as far away from Percy and Jason as she could. She murmured to Reyna, "I still have orange jumpsuits and chains if you ever need them."

**I looked into the kitchen. None of the appliances were on, the lights were off, the curtains hadn't been pulled open, and Hylla wasn't there either.**

**"Hylla!" I called. "Hylla!"**

**"What!" Her reply came from her room. Wow-I'd forgotten to check her room. Smooth.**

Leo nearly choked. "Is this really Reyna narrating?" He didn't notice that Jason and Percy were shaking their heads "no" desperately at him. "I mean I don't know her that well but –" He stopped at Jason and Percy's frantic gestures.

Reyna gave him a glare that gave a whole new meaning to the phrase, "if looks could kill."

Leo shrank back. "I'll sit in the time-out corner now," he said in a small voice.

Percy laughed and patted Leo on the back. "Don't worry, you'll get used to her glare over time."

Reyna turned her piercing gaze onto him and he winced. "Okay, maybe not."

"We have a book to read, if you don't mind," Reyna said, her voice as cold as steel. Without waiting for a response, she went back to reading.

**"Do you have the straightener?"**

Leo wanted to make a remark about that but stopped when Piper elbowed him.

**"Which one?" she asked.**

**"The good one," I replied.**

**"Oh you mean **_**mine,**_**" Hylla said.**

**"Whatever," I rolled my eyes so she couldn't see. "Do you?"**

**"Yes."**

**"Come on- I need it!" I said. "Your hair actually looks **_**good **_**when it's curly."**

Leo glanced at Hylla's hair and grinned.

Piper knew what was coming. "Leo," she started to warn.

"Your hair actually does look good when it's curly, Amazon Queen," he smirked.

Hylla turned to him, her piercing dark eyes so dark, Leo understood why Reyna and Hylla were related. "And your head will look good when it's mounted up on the wall with the rest of the irritating boys who tried to make a move on me."

Reyna sighed. "Hylla –"

"I think we should keep on reading," Annabeth cut in.

Hylla wanted to object but she respected Annabeth's spirit.

**"No it doesn't," Hylla said.**

**"Come on- my hair's already a mess, the highlights are wearing out!" I whined. She ignored me. I guess since we've been living just the two of us for six years she'd perfected that; just as I'd perfected the art of not being ignored.**

Frank and Hazel exchanged glances. They couldn't believe it. Highlights? Whined? Was this really the Praetor Reyna they knew and respected/feared?

"Wonder what happened to change that," Frank whispered, not noticing that Reyna had stopped reading.

"Centurion Zhang," Reyna said sharply. "I would like to get on with the story, if you do not mind."

Frank turned red. "Of course, Reyna." He stared down at the ground.

**I pounded on her door some more. "Hylla I'm going to be late!"**

**"Well so am I!"**

**"Hylla!" I yelled through the door.**

**"OW!" The door opened and I saw Hylla standing there, shaking her hand.**

**"See what happens when you're yelling at me when I'm using the straightener? I burn myself- good job, midget." She said shoving me on the way to the bathroom to pass her hand under cool water.**

_Midget? _Leo thought. _I wonder what my chances of getting killed would be if I called her that._

**"You deserve it," I muttered, walking into the room. The straightener was on the dresser, and I took it pretty quickly. I noticed a little bottle of nail polish shaped like a diamond that I'd never seen before.**

**"Hey Hylla, this colour's nice." I said examining the tube. 'Golden Rules' was the colour name, and the colour itself was caught between gold and brown. "Can I borrow it?"**

**"No," she called. I pocketed it anyway and gathered the straightener as Hylla walked in.**

**"Reyna- I'm not done yet." She said.**

**"Not my problem." I said ducking under her arm. She closed her arm around my neck and squeezed.**

"Nice relationship you two got there," Jason muttered underneath his breath.

Hylla narrowed her eyes. "What was that?"

Jason looked down. "Nothing."

Hylla didn't back down, though. "You, Jason Grace, really ought to learn to be quiet. I told Reyna, the day I first met you, that if you ever stepped out of line, you would be in chains faster than you could say, "I won't break anyone's heart." And, guess what? You –"

"Hylla!" Reyna said, her eyes burning with anger. "Stop it!"

Thalia glared at Hylla. "What is your problem with my brother? What has he done to you?"

"Oh nothing," Hylla said, her eyes fierce. "Nothing except leave Reyna and come ba –"

"I really think that we should continue reading," Piper said, putting charmspeak into her voice.

It was just enough to calm everyone down for just a bit. Then, Reyna and Hylla both froze. Reyna's eyes were filled with suspicion. Hylla, on the other hand, had Piper pinned down before she could utter a gasp of surprise.

"Piper!" Jason cried. "Let go of her," he ordered.

Hylla narrowed her eyes. "Not a chance. You dare use charmspeak against me? In case you didn't know, in Circe's Island, we had a lot of little witches like you. We had to learn to grow somewhat immune to it in order to keep our minds sane."

Frank was hesitant to interrupt. "Maybe we should continue with the story? Arguing won't get us anywhere."

Hazel nodded. "Frank's right. I mean –"

Thalia ignored Hazel and started arguing loudly with Hylla. Soon, Jason joined her. Percy and Annabeth tried to get involved but ended up arguing with Frank and Hazel about some trivial thing. Piper didn't want to use charmspeak so she simply tried to break up the fighting. Leo tried to interfere but all of a sudden, Frank started arguing with him.

"Oh for the love of Bellona," Reyna muttered. "I hate my job." She raised her voice louder and said, "Sto –"

There was a knock on the door.

Everyone froze.

"See?" a voice from outside said. "They can't even get through this meeting without arguing. What are they hiding from us?"

"Octavian," Jason and Percy muttered at the same time.

Reyna scowled. How she hated that weasel... "Octavian," she said, raising her voice. "It is protocol for the praetors to appraise the threat before having a Senate Meeting. You are in direct violation with Code 1.23 Appendix B."

"I apologize, Reyna," Octavian said. "But as the augur of the Twelfth Legion, I would like to state that in Code 3.45 Appendix C, it states that I have the authority to interfere if there is an immediate threat." He opened the door and had a smirk on his face. A few of his lackeys entered the Senate building along with him.

"Percy and I clearly have everything under control," Reyna said.

Jason stiffened at that. He still felt like he should be the praetor next to Reyna, not Percy. He knew Percy felt the same way.

Octavian raised his eyebrows. He zoned in on the book Reyna was holding in her hands. "What's that?"

Reyna ignored him. "Leave."

Jason figured that he probably should step in. It was the least he could do after leaving Reyna to deal with him for six months. "All of the people in this room are more important than you, Octavian. In other words, you better keep you _podex _in line."

Octavian narrowed his eyes. He turned to his lackeys. "Let's go. Our _three praetors _clearly believe they have this under control." His tone of voice made it clear what he thought of that. He made it sound like when everything blew up in the praetors' faces, it was proof that everyone should've listened to him.

He stormed out of the room with his brainwashed soldiers following him. The door slammed shut behind them.

Percy gave everyone a quick scan. "Look, most of us don't like each other."

"But we can't let Octavian win," Jason finished. "So let's all get along and then we can kick Octavian's _podex _together later."

"Couldn't have said it better myself," Percy said with a fist bump.

"Sounds good to me," Leo agreed.

"Kicking Octavian's _podex _is what I live for," Frank added.

Reyna sighed in relief. Although she didn't want to read the story, she didn't want the world getting destroyed either. She continued reading.

**"Ow- let go or I'm going to burn you with this!" I said wriggling like a worm.**

**"You won't live if you try," she muttered. I fought and finally kicked back to her shin.**

**"Reyna!"**

**I managed to get myself free. I dashed into the bathroom and locked the door behind me.**

**"Reyna!" She yelled from outside, banging on the door. "I'm going to be late!"**

**"Well so am I," I muttered plugging the straightener into the wall.**

**It was lunch break, and Hope and I had crashed at my house.**

**Hope Longing had long blond curls, light as feathers, and brown eyes. She was fit and pretty enough to play on a TV show, and nice enough to be a superstar and endure people putting her face on lunchboxes and t-shirts, or yelling her name.**

"Sounds like my type of girl," Leo muttered.

"You think every girl is your type of girl," Piper said, rolling her eyes.

Hazel stared at Leo. She couldn't believe – before she could finish her thought, Reyna continued with the story.

**It would drive me insane, but Hope was amazing that way. She was always patient with the customers at the spa; she was always polite and flattering. Circe loved putting her on any job that made her mingle. I was usually shut in the back because I in no way have any power over my tongue.**

Annabeth glanced at Reyna. She really did not seem like a type of person who just blurted something out. She wondered guiltily if the pirates had changed her that much.

Jason, noticing everyone's disbelieving glances said, "Yeah, she was like that at first. Insulted me in any way she could."

Piper frowned. She couldn't help but feel jealous. She took Jason's hand in hers as a reminder to everyone watching that she was his girlfriend.

**She was surfing the web and we were pretty much ignoring the TV as 'Dear John' rolled. We knew the script by heart anyways; we did this all the time during lunch break. Circe insisted most movies be anti-male and we'd just taken our wild pick at that one when we'd been told to pick a new movie.**

**"Hey- look at this." She said. I leaned in towards her and looked at the screen. It was one of those sites with a million tests on it- Which nail polish colour is the right for you?**

**"Seriously?" I asked.**

**"Yeah," Hope said. "I'm going to do it."**

**"In case you didn't notice, your nails are hot pink and lime green right now." I told her.**

**"So," Hope shrugged. She clicked on the bubbles next to her answers and got 'pink'.**

**"Okay so- I am secure enough not to follow every trend."**

**"But some." I said.**

**"Of course," Hope said. "I'm the perfect blend of preppy, stylish and cute- heavy on the cute."**

**"You wish," I joked. She made a face.**

**"…And I'm girly without being high maintenance."**

**"I think you're both high maintenance." Hylla said walking into the house. Obvious sign she hadn't forgiven me for the straightener spaz this morning.**

**"Hey Hylla," Hope said.**

**"Hi." Hylla raised her hand in hello and walked back to where our rooms and the bathroom were in the bungalow.**

**"Okay, your turn to do the test." Hope said pushing the laptop onto my lap. I just clicked on the bubbles without paying much attention. They were just tests made by other people. And as much as they were our only contact with anyone off the island- that didn't mean they were automatically right. Ever.**

"Yeah," Leo agreed. "I once took a personality and it said that I was a boy that was rejected by every girl within a mile of me."

"But Leo," Piper teased. "That's true."

Before Leo could respond, Annabeth whispered to Percy, "I bet if you took one, it would, even before you answered the first question, say that you were a seaweed brain."

"I don't need a personality test to tell me that," Percy whispered back. "I already have a beautifully genius girlfriend to remind me that every few minutes."

"Gods, stop flirting!" Thalia said, glaring at them. "Some of us would prefer to read this story instead of hearing you two trying seduce each other."

Percy and Annabeth turned red. Reyna allowed her to smile to herself before she continued reading.

**"Reyna?" Hylla called.**

**"Yeah?" I said, filling in the last few bubbles.**

**"Did you see the welcome badge? That I'm supposed to have on my uniform?"**

**"No." I said clicking on 'submit answers'.**

**"Can you help me look?"**

**"No." I said as it loaded. She muttered –probably something very against me.**

"It was," Hylla said fondly, or as fond as she ever gets, to Reyna. She smiled at her little sister, before her face darkened and she glared at Annabeth and Percy. "Now, I remember this day. It was when -"

_**You live for trends. They help make you look good, which is fine. But you can forget worrying about your look when you wear dark blue nail polish, which will look nice but slightly irregular, so you can finally feel confident and stand out.**_

**"Miss Trend over here," Hope said bumping into my shoulder.**

**"Living for trends. What a purposeful life," I muttered.**

**"Don't worry, we'll find you some dark blue." Hope said, as Hylla walked past us again.**

**"At supper you are **_**so **_**explaining to me why this was in your room." She said doing the 'I've got my eyes on you'.**

**"You went in my room!" I protested.**

**"It's my house," Hylla said making a face.**

**"Circe's land," I said.**

**"I got the job first," she said, swinging the door open. I rolled my eyes at her and she left too.**

**"Hey," Hope said. "If Hylla just took her five minute break, doesn't that mean that we're due at the pool…"**

**"In five minutes!" I said. Hope clicked the 'off' button on the remote, I shut down the computer and we both bounced to our feet, and ran as fast as we could back to the spa area.**

**I wondered if I'd have ran just as fast if I'd have known what was coming.**

"That's cheery," Percy said. "I wonder what's going to happen next."

Everyone around him wondered if he was being sarcastic or if he was simply that stupid.

**I was putting a colourful drink down next to a woman covered in some hydration cream and wearing a bright bikini.**

"Leo," nearly everyone said at the same time.

Leo looked offended. "What? Why does everyone say "Leo" as soon as the word "woman" or "bikini" or something like that comes up?"

**"Circe's Orange Coconut Smoothie Deluxe," I said. I hated listing the orders. What kind of idiot forgot what they ordered in five minutes' time?**

"I know a few," Annabeth said, glancing meaningfully at Percy.

**"Does it have a vitamin boost?" She asked, not moving an inch to keep the cream from scrunching and ruining.**

**"Umm, no." I said. "Sorry miss." Did she think she was seriously not getting enough vitamins? Lying in the sun drinking fruit smoothies all day begged to differ. I was about to force feed it to her, but I picked it up and put it back on the tray. I maneuvered around the pool, stepped over a trail of baby turtles that were dragging their way to the pool for a dip.**

**I stopped to take an order, dropped off a C.C. Citrus Shake, and got to the hut where everything came from.**

**"There's supposed to be a vitamin boost in the Orange Coconut," I said. The counter girl, Monelle, smiled at me with perfect white teeth.**

**"They're picky today?" She asked. I motioned my hand to my temples in a finger gun manoeuvre. Monelle laughed and emptied a package in the smoothie. "Hang in there. Here's the Berry Bazooka for the lady on the bottom pool, Brazilian Fruit Forest for the one on the left hand side pool you've got on the top floor, and you can just give this to the leopard on the diving board." She said dropping two smoothies and a strip of ham on the platter.**

**"Thanks," I said before heading off to the glass elevator that went inside the mountain. Tubes filled with tropical fish and others that were actually water slides twirled around the elevator like a candy cane. One girl shot past me, her arms crossed over her chest, and screaming bloody murder.**

"I wonder if she saw you," Piper said, looking at Leo. "That would be enough to set her on a rampage."

Leo opened his mouth then closed it again. "Come on, Beauty Queen. I don't set you screaming whenever your eyes land on me."

"I wouldn't be too sure about that," Piper muttered with a smile.

"Stop flirting, will you?" Hylla said with annoyance evident in her voice. "Perhaps you two would make a better couple than –" She trailed off as she glanced at Jason and Piper.

**She had **_**definitely **_**jumped into the tube from the top of the mountain… I hated the rush.**

**Other than that, I could see my reflection perfectly. I looked like Hylla except younger, and I'd barely ever tied my hair if I wasn't working in the kitchen. Getting brown highlights had been a way to see if clients wouldn't ask me 'do you have a sister?' They still did. I guess we had the same dark eyes- nearly shark black, and they seemed to stay shark black no matter what kind of contacts Circe put in.**

"You have no idea how black they hare," Jason muttered. "Nearly peed my pants the first time I saw you."

Reyna nearly smiled. She thought about responding but really didn't feel like letting her guard down in front of strangers.

**Maybe it was the hard and distinct features that Circe said would **make** great models. I'd never agreed to that. I'd always thought there was more to it than a model, but I wouldn't know.**

**The elevator stopped at the top floor and I stepped out. This was where all the best slides started and where people could go hand gliding from.**

**"Here's your smoothie, Mrs. Bowyer." I said putting it down next to her.**

**"Thanks, hon." She said, blindly reaching out for it, as to not move her face and crinkle the seaweed aloes wrap. Her hand was held out and Hope was painting sky blue nail polish on her nails. She looked up and grinned at me. I saw lids of bottles and various nail filing kits in her white coat's pockets.**

**Hope held out her hand and I tickled her fingers, held on, and blasted my hand away like a rocket ship.**

**"See you at the luau." She said.**

**I wondered if I'd have left if I'd known that they separated the prisoners by where they'd been captured.**

Annabeth looked down. She felt really guilty. She'd been really reckless when she had tried to free Percy. But she had been desperate.

**Hylla**

"Oh joy," Hylla muttered. "It's in my point of view now?"

Reyna nearly smiled.

**My hands were chained behind my back, and my jaw locked. My cheek stung like crazy where it'd been cut, and my heart thumped like the little drummer boy.**

**"Hylla…" A voice behind me said.**

**"I know, Rey, I know." I said. "Just hold on."**

**We marched across Circe's island in flames and ashes behind everyone else on the island, and I couldn't believe it. I'd been so sure this was going to be safe, and now my sister walked on ruins with ancient guns pointed at us from nearly 360 degrees.**

**They loaded us into different ships.**

**"He stole me ship, that swine of a lad… Children of the sea think they govern it. We'll show that stupid Percy Jackson!"**

"It seems like every time I hear the name Percy Jackson, there's always cursing before or after it," Frank said to Percy.

The son of Poseidon shrugged. "I guess I'm just really popular amongst monsters."

"Jason has the same effect on monsters," Hazel said with a smile.

_**My thoughts exactly, **_**I thought as Blackbeard called that out.**

Percy winced. Hylla had _really_ hated him.

**He shot his gun in the air, making us all jump. He yelled again; "I'll get the old girl back! I'll get the old girl back!"**

**The pirates cheered and I felt the fear collecting in my throat. I looked up at the sky.**

**"Mother, help." I whispered. I'd never prayed before. I'd always ignored the fact there was someone up there to pray too, but now I needed help. Reyna needed help. And Circe couldn't give it to us; I'd been there when her body had thudded to the ground, and I'd watched Blackbeard slide his sword out from her chest.**

Hylla shuddered as she recalled the memory.

**"Walk, girl, walk!" The pirate said kicking at my shin with his wooden leg. It'd been gnawed a bit by the guinea pigs.**

**The wood was hard but I did what he said and tried to ignore it.**

**"The two lassies in the back, in my own ship!" Blackbeard called. Oh no, that was us...**

**He divided his men; some of them were to follow the Queen Anne's Revenge and the two who'd stolen it and blew the island apart. Percy Jackson and the blonde. The name set my teeth on edge already.**

Percy glanced nervously at Hylla. Right now, he wasn't sure who had hated him more. Hylla or Blackbeard. That was a scary thought. Does the Queen of the Amazons or the most feared pirate of all time hate him more?

**The rest were to take prisoners at sea, but Reyna and I weren't with them. We were with Blackbeard himself, and another small group of prisoners, and I was very, very afraid. I noticed that most of them had been high in charge of the island. Circe wasn't there, of course. Circe was dead. The idea haunted me and made me shiver. But I saw Valentina the vet, Maisie the head hair stylist, Paulette from the cosmetic centre, Tabitha who'd been Circe's right hand in everything... And then me, head of client service. And Reyna dragged with. Oh no…**

**An old man with a limp and no shoes took us into a ship and to the bottom; a place that I knew was a cargo hold. They threw me against the wall and I heard a second thump, and Reyna's cry of surprise.**

**"The Captain will see to you soon," he said. "Pray to the god of your choice now."**

Percy and Annabeth glanced at each other guiltily.

**He added darkly before going back above deck, slamming the door. I jumped towards it but there was a click and I knew it was locked.**

**"No!" I slammed the door and dropped my head against it.**

**"Hylla?" Reyna asked. I took a deep breath and turned around.**

**Only 12, but tall for her age, she got to my shoulders. Her black hair was loose down her back, except for two gold braids, on either side of her head. Her eyes were scared, like whenever a victim realized that Mistress' milkshake was more than a treat.**

"The victim was probably more scared," Percy muttered.

**"Come here," I said. She came to me and buried her face in my shoulder. I wrapped my arms around her. I hadn't done that in a long time, even if it used to be daily activity. I'd been taking care of her from the time she was six, up to whatever age she'd started not wanting to be taken care of anymore.**

Reyna's voice was dangerously calm. She didn't like reading these words out to these strangers. But if this would help defeat Gaea, she would sacrifice anything and everything.

**After Dad died in that police shooting in Atlanta, I'd had absolutely nowhere to go. It was a mix of mixed up planes from the foster family that was supposed to take Reyna and I to a state home in the south of the state, and sheer luck that we'd gotten to Circe's island.**

**I'd sworn I'd take any option I could, any option that would stay far from guns and violence long before we got there. The state home would separate us, and I couldn't let that happen; violence had ripped my family once, I wouldn't let it do it twice. I couldn't believe I'd watched Dad clean his gun in the living room in the evenings, and that I'd even asked to shoot it once. He'd smiled and called me my mother's daughter, saying that one day I'd be able to do that kind of thing. Violence disgusted me after I saw my father's bullet wound, which was also technically the last nail in his coffin. Circe's island was too good to be true, and now you couldn't tell it'd ever been anything if you looked.**

The mood grew even darker. Everyone was silent. Not even Leo made a joke.

Thalia and Annabeth exchanged glances. They knew exactly what it was like to feel safe, then have their lives be turned upside down so many times until they couldn't even recognize it..

**"It'll be okay, we'll get out of here." I said.**

**"How?" She asked. "No potions, charms, or weapons." Reyna said. The door clicked open and we scrambled back and away from each other.**

**Blackbeard was flanked by two other pirates as he looked around. He was a big man, and I was pretty sure there were shoulder pads in his crimson jacket. **_**The colour of blood, **_**some part of me kept thinking. He had tied wicks laced with gunpowder in his hair, and Circe had told me that this barbarian lit them during battle. Just for show, of course. He wore bandoleers packed with guns, pistols and knives, which added to the two already on his side. He was a walking artillery unit that the US military would sit up and beg for! His name hadn't been given lightly, as he had a rugged bear like wire covering most of his face. But I could still see his blood lusting dark eyes. And they landed on us.**

**"So it's true, eh? Two daughters of Bellona; landed on an island of a spa. Ha! You are out of place, wenches."**

**"Don't call us that," I said.**

**"I'll call you what I like, wenches. You should be thankful you and I are half-siblings, and unfit to be my wife."**

Hylla winced. Reyna shut her eyes and took a deep breath before continuing.

**I clenched my teeth.**

**"But perfect for prisoners. Dangerous prisoners maybe, but that's why you're in a different room, is it not? And it's part of the fun. The thrill…"**

_**Some thrill…**_

**"You- I remember- fed us every day and never tried to let us out." He said pointing at me. "And you were always on the heels of the witch." He turned to Rey. "As for you- you're her sister; enough damage right there. We'll keep you here for as long as we like."**

**"Let us go." I said.**

**"No," Blackbeard said. "**_**You **_**be the caged one now. And watch your sister suffer to it; as I watched my crew."**

**"Let her go! At least her! Do whatever you want with me, but not her!" I cried.**

**"If I'd let her go," Blackbeard said, "She'd walk into the Sea of Monsters. You want that?"**

**"It must be pretty sad that **_**you're **_**our best option." Reyna snapped at him.**

"Feisty," Leo mumbled.

**"Reyna!" I hissed. Blackbeard raised his rifle and pointed it directly at her head. My heart froze and went into hyperactive mode. Don't shoot, I prayed. Because if he shot…**

**"You're the prisoner. The prisoner has no power. Stop acting like you have it. Is that clear?"**

**Reyna shut up, but her eyes told the story.**

**"Perfect," Blackbeard said. "We're sailing for England. Then we'll see what you'll be good for."**

**He left, leaving us alone. Reyna sunk to the floor, leaning back on her arms, her head turned away from me.**

**"Reyna-"**

**"Don't talk to me."**

**"Rey-"**

**"Don't talk to me."**

**"Yeah but-"**

**"I said don't, Hylla!" She yelled. "You didn't want me to learn to fight. You didn't want me to learn how to be strong, and now you're **_**asking **_**me to be strong? What the heck?"**

**"Reyna I never thought this would happen…"**

**"We're demigods! Blackbeard said it even if you never admitted it when I asked! Bellona's the war goddess isn't she? Even worse! How could you think we'd never need to fight?" She yelled at me. I tipped my head back.**

**"I don't know Reyna. I just wanted you to be safe."**

**"Well I'm not, and **_**you're **_**not, and **_**nobody **_**is." She said.**

**I bit my lips.**

**I could feel the waves on the boat as we sailed away from the island, on a ship we were prisoners in. Suddenly there was an explosion. Reyna and I ran over to the tiny porthole window, and I saw a fireball in the distance. The island…**

**I put a hand to my mouth and nearly cried.**

**"See?" Reyna said, her eyes filling up with her own tears and bitterness. "Nobody's safe." I blinked my tears away.**

Reyna's voice nearly wavered as she spoke. She wanted to throw the book into a fire and then throw the ashes into the river. Jason lightly put his hand on her arm. She sent him a harsh glare and shivered. He took his hand away. Reyna kept reading.

**"It'll be okay." I managed. I tried to talk to her again but she ignored me. She gave me the silent treatment.**

**I could hear laughing pirates and footsteps above me, shooting into the air for the fun of it and drunk with victory and possibly stronger stuff; but not my sister's voice.**

**I felt miserable, but I didn't cry, because Reyna was still looking at me from the corner of her eye.**

**We were completely alone, and even worst because Reyna refused to talk to me for the whole day. She probably hated me more when we heard them say goodnight to each other and go to bed. Just a day ago, that'd been us.**

**She might not be talking, but I knew we both wondered how many more days it'd be.**

After Reyna was finished with the first chapter, she put the book down. "We have to continue reading," she said, keeping her face emotionless.

_**Okay, whew, that took a long time to write. Thanks for reading and hopefully Kitty Qin will get her lazy podex off the couch or bed or whatever and get to work writing.**_

_**CRUCIO!**_

_**-A very tired Selene Bellatrix Black**_


End file.
